High School Football: Rushing attack leads La Habra to rout of Sonora

LA HABRA - In defeating visiting Sonora High School, 51-19, Friday night, La Habra finished its Freeway League schedule with a perfect 5-0 record and an outright league championship.

The Highlanders (7-3 overall) did so with only 40 yards passing. La Habra's three-headed rushing attack, made up of speedsters Hector Islas and Sebastian Salinas and bruiser Greg Gaines, combined to rush for 202 yards and four touchdowns on the night, providing a steady pace for the Highlander offense.

A crucial defensive stand in the third quarter shifted the momentum in La Habra's favor.

On its first drive of the second half, Sonora (5-5, 3-2) moved the ball down inside the La Habra 25-yard line. However, the Raiders' offense stalled and turned the ball over on downs.

On the subsequent drive, Salinas burst through the line of scrimmage and raced 32 yards into the end zone to give the Highlanders a healthy 27-7 lead. Sonora was never able to recover.

Salinas, a junior, led the way for the Highlanders' offense, carrying the ball 14 times for 90 yards and the touchdown. Islas added 82 yards and a touchdown of his own.

On the defensive side, Zachary Bretoi caused problems for the Sonora offensive line, recording three sacks of quarterback Kyle Mahlstede.

Despite being chased around most of the night, Mahlstede completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Nate Miranda served as Mahlstede's favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

Gaines put the Highlanders on the board in the first half, scoring two touchdowns while picking up short yardage whenever his number was called. The junior ran for 30 yards and the pair of touchdowns.

After Gaines' touchdown on the first drive of the game, Sonora and Mahlstede responded with a quick score of their own. Mahlstede tossed a deep pass into the Highlander end zone and Miranda out-leaped two La Habra defenders to catch the 33-yard touchdown, tying the score 7-7.

On its first drive of the second quarter, La Habra needed just five plays to drive 59 yards, as Islas bowled over a Sonora defender en route to a 16-yard rushing touchdown. A missed extra point kept the score at 13-7 in La Habra's favor.